By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “Road to King of Pro Wrestling 2025”
October 11, 2025, in Saitama, Japan, at Tokorozawa City Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
This is a large gym, and the lights were on. The crowd was maybe 600, but there were a lot of empty seats, particularly in the upper tier. Walker Stewart provided commentary.
1. Zane Jay and Masatora Yasuda vs. Tatsuya Matsumoto and Shoma Kato. Zane and Kato opened, and Shoma went for a cross-armbreaker. Matsumoto entered and brawled with Jay. Zane hit an impressive dropkick at 3:30. Yasuda tagged in and fought Matsumoto. Yasuda applied a Boston Crab. Kato entered and hit some chops as they worked over Yasuda. Zane hit another dropkick, and he put Kato in a Boston Crab, but Shoma reached the ropes at 7:00. Shoma hit his own dropkick on Zane for a nearfall, then he applied his own Boston Crab, but Yasuda made the save. Kato re-applied the Boston Crab, and this time, Zane tapped out. Basic action, but this is a good group of Young Lions.
Tatsuya Matsumoto and Shoma Kato defeated Zane Jay and Masatora Yasuda at 8:59.
2. Shota Umino vs. Katsuya Murashima. Again, Murashima is thicker and just the clear top Young Lion in this class, and he’s really been able to shine and show off some personality while teaming with Tanahashi this year. A basic tie-up and feeling-out process to open. Shota knocked him down with a shoulder tackle at 2:00. He dropped Murashima with a European Uppercut, and he applied a cravat on the mat. Umino hit a standing neckbreaker for a nearfall. Murashima hit a flying forearm and a flipping senton for a nearfall at 6:00.
Shoma hit a bodyslam. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Murashima hit a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall, and he put Umino in a Boston Crab at 9:00 and dragged Shota to the center of the ring. Umino eventually reached the ropes. Shota hit a dropkick and a suplex for a nearfall. He hit a hard clothesline and got the pin. Solid match with an underwhelming finish; I didn’t expect the clothesline to end that.
Shota Umino defeated Katsuya Murashima at 11:27.
3. “House of Torture” Sanada and Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors. The HoT came out first; the BCWDogs charged into the ring and brawled, and we’re underway! All four brawled to the floor and away from ringside. Connors got his tire, but Kanemaru ducked being struck by it at 1:30. In the ring, Sanada stomped on Connors’ left leg, and the HoT took control. Connors hit a powerslam on Kanemaru at 3:30.
Moloney got a hot tag, and he brawled with Sanada. Sanada got his guitar, but Drilla hit a low-blow mule kick. Moloney grabbed the guitar, and Sanada scampered to the floor and stalled for quite a while, until the ref finally started counting him out. Sanada walked back to ringside but made no effort to get back in, and he turned and left. Drilla grabbed the guitar and struck Kanemaru over the head with it, while he continued to jaw with Sanada. Moloney stomped the guitar until it was tiny shards of wood.
Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Sanada via count-out at 7:30.
4. “House of Torture” Don Fale and Dick Togo, and EVIL vs. Boltin Oleg and Tiger Mask and Toru Yano. The HoT attacked, and all six brawled to the floor. In the ring, Yano couldn’t lift Fale for a bodyslam, so he smacked Fale on the back of the head. Fale bodyslammed him. The HoT worked over Yano and kept him grounded. (I’m not used to seeing Yano actually in the ring this much!) Fale hit another bodyslam at 3:00. Oleg got in and hit a splash to the mat on Togo. He tossed Dick around in his arms several times, then hit the gut-wrench suplex at 5:00.
Tiger Mask entered and hit some quick kicks to Togo’s thighs. TM got a Crucifix Driver on EVIL for a nearfall, and he switched to an ankle lock, but Togo made the save. Tiger Mask hit some spin kicks to EVIL’s thighs. Fale jumped in and hit the Grenade (pop-up strike) on Tiger Mask. EVIL put the knocked-out Tiger Mask in a Sharpshooter, and the ref called for the bell. They all continued to brawl after the bell, with EVIL hitting the Everything is Evil uranage on Oleg.
EVIL, Don Fale, and Dick Togo defeated Boltin Oleg, Tiger Mask, and Toru Yano at 7:17.
* Clark Connors joined Walker Stewart on commentary!
5. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Yuto-Ice and Oskar vs. Yuya Uemura and Tomoaki Honma. The BCWD wore the belts to ringside, but the tag titles are not on the line. The Dogs attacked at the bell. Oskar planted his foot in Honma’s throat in the ring, while Yuto-Ice and Uemura fought on the floor. The champs worked over Honma. In the ring, Yuto unloaded a series of roundhouse kicks to Yuya’s chest at 4:30. Yuya hit a back suplex on Yuto-Ice for a nearfall, then a dropkick, and they were both down.
Oskar and Honma entered, and Oskar dropped him with a shoulder tackle at 6:30, but he missed a guillotine leg drop. Honma hit a Kokeshi falling headbutt on Oskar for a nearfall at 8:00. Yuto dropped Uemura with a hard closed-fist punch. Oskar put Honma in a sleeper, lifted him off the ground, and spun him. The ref checked on Honma and called for the bell. Decent. The champs continued a post-match beat-down until Shota Umino came out for the save, but they beat him up, too.
Yuto-Ice and Oskar defeated Yuya Uemura and Tomoaki Honma at 9:42.
6. Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Daiki Nagai, and Titan vs. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Gabe Kidd, David Finlay, Taiji Ishimori, and Gedo. David stopped at the commentary table to chat with Clark on his way to the ring. Gedo and Titan opened, and Titan hit a springboard crossbody block. All eight brawled on the floor. In the ring, the Dogs worked over Nagai. Yota finally got a hot tag at 5:00, and he hit a huracanrana on Kidd, then a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee. Kidd hit some chops, then an Exploder Suplex for a nearfall at 7:00.
Titan hit a double springboard dropkick. He dove through the ropes and crashed onto Gedo. In the ring, Kidd and Tsuji fought some more, and Kidd hit a brainbuster, but Yota hit a powerbomb at 8:30 and they were both down. Finlay fought Nagai, and Nagai hit a Spinebuster for a nearfall. Finlay nailed the Northern Irish Curse backbreaker over his knee, then the Oblivion (shoulder-breaker over his knee) on Nagai for the pin.
Gabe Kidd, David Finlay, Taiji Ishimori, and Gedo defeated Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi, Daiki Nagai, and Titan at 10:35.
7. “House of Torture” Sho and Douki vs. Kuukai and El Desperado for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles. Sho rolled to the floor at the bell; Despe followed, but the HoT attacked him. All four fought at ringside. In the ring, Kuukai hit a headscissors takedown on Sho, then a dropkick at 2:00. Douki whipped Despe into the ring post, and he choked Desperado with a towel on the floor. Sho hit Kuukai over the head with a chair at 5:00. They kept Desperado grounded in the ring. Despe hit a back suplex on Douki at 7:00. The HoT tied Desperado around the ring post.
Sho applied a hammerlock on the mat, but Despe reached the ropes at 9:30. Desperado hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee. Kuukai got a hot tag and hit a top-rope double crossbody block. He hit a twisting idve through the ropes onto both heels at 11:00. In the ring, Douki applied the Douki Chokey (Triangle Choke) on Kuukai, who immediately reached the ropes. Douki hit an enzuigiri. Desperado got in and hit a back suplex on Sho, then a suplex at 14:30. Sho applied a cross-armbreaker on Despe; Desperado escaped and put him in a Stretch Muffler (leg lock around his neck), but Sho reached the ropes at 16:00.
Sho hit a clothesline on Desperado; he got up but sold pain in his knee. He went for the Shock Arrow (cross-arm piledriver), but Despe blocked it. Sho hit a spear. Despe hit a Michinoku Driver on Sho. Despe hit a spear on Douki. Kuukai hit a basement dropkick. He tied Douki in a bow-and-arrow, bending him backwards over his knees. Sho threw Despe into the ref! Sho hit a low-blow uppercut on Desperado at 19:00. Kuukai hit a superkick on Sho. Kuukai hit a Lungblower to Douki’s back. Kuukai hit a top-rope moonsault on Douki for a believable nearfall. Sho struck Kuukai in the head with a large, thin metal sheet; Douki immediately rolled up Kuukai for the tainted pin.
Sho and Douki defeated Kuukai and El Desperado to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles at 20:32.
Final Thoughts: The main event was fine, I guess, but I had never heard of Kuukai until a week ago, so it was hard for me to buy that this newcomer was going to win NJPW gold this quickly. Point being, for me, the main event was devoid of drama, as I never thought the HoT were losing. NJPW has a day off before the big King of Pro-Wrestling show on Monday, featuring Takeshita vs. Sabre Jr., Kidd vs. Tsuji, Oleg vs. EVIL, Tanahashi vs. ELP and Moloney vs. Sanada.
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